Obama's Inauguration, From Every Angle

Great events in history have always been captured in great photographs, as has been the tradition of major publications like Life and Time. While there's no doubt that Barack Obama's inauguration is one of the most photographed events in history, CNN and the guys at Microsoft decided to take things a step higher – by Photosynth'ing the moment into a 3-D photo that's only going to get bigger and clearer with time.

Microsoft developed the Photosynth technology, which in this situation will compile hundreds (and, possibly soon, thousands) of photos submitted by those present during the moment when Barack Obama took the oath. John King showed the Photosynth of the moment a mere few hours after Obama became President, constructing a surprisingly clear photo that you could pan and zoom in very freely.

During King's first presentation, he had just a little trouble getting into certain angles and zoom points, but that's probably because the Photosynth was still composed of relatively few photos submitted by viewers in and around the Capitol platform. But the great thing about this Photosynth project is that viewers can keep submitting their photos to themoment@cnn.com and the guys at CNN will keep using them to create an even clearer and more comprehensive Synth in the days to come. You can view the synth at www.cnn.com/themoment.

It's actually surprising to me to see Microsoft come up with something that's actually cool. I'd have expected Google to come up with something like this (navigating the synth felt a bit like Google Earth), but Microsoft? I sure hope it's a sign of things to come from Bill Gates and company.

Although I'll admit, Wolf Blitzer sort of gave me the wrong idea when he and Anderson Cooper brought up references to the stuff we saw during the US election day last year. Back then we saw John King work the Magic Wall like a wizard, Jessica Yellin and will.i.am beamed up to the CNN studios (George Lucas must have been flattered to death), and a 3-D generation of the Senate and House of Congress. I suddenly expected something 3-D as well, which left me a little disappointed when the Photosynth came out one dimension short.

Still, it was pretty good, considering they came out with a very presentable synth in mere hours – and CNN only had about 10 photographers at the event. CNN did a bit of crowdsourcing by asking people at the event to submit their photos as soon as possible. It's pretty surprising to see how readily people are willing to help out, even if the only reward is an acknowledgment on the website.

In the end, these innovative new uses of technology made an already momentous occasion much more memorable. Although I'll concede that one of the most enjoyable moments I've had all day was when former President George Bush left the Capitol in a helicopter. Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye!